NCPNR urges cancellation of land grant

Non-government organisations National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR) and Jana Sangrama Parishat (JSP) have urged the state government to cancel the grant of five acres in Bengaluru South taluk to a cancer hospital which was never built.

Founder president of NCPNR S R Hiremath told reporters here on Friday that an NCPNR study team had unearthed some key documents relating to a ‘cancer hospital’ which was never built and the government had been unduly delaying action in a glaring case of land grab.

Referring to the report of the Task Force for Recovery of Public Land and Its Protection, June 2011 (commonly referred to as ‘V Balasubramanian Report’), Hiremath said the five acre plot (survey number 154/11), opposite the IIMB on Bannerughatta Road was granted to one Imperial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Private Limited on August 20, 1991 for Rs 10 lakh (at Rs 2 lakh per acre) while the land was worth at least Rs 25 crore.

Hiremath pointed out that following public pressure and PIL by Samaj Parivartan Samudaya in the high court, the government disposed off the case before the assistant commissioner on February 3, 2014.

The AC in his order, directed the tahsildar concerned to further a proposal to granting authority for the cancellation of grant of land and to resume the land in granting authority free from all encumbrance.

However, the tahasildar took ten months to comply and finally sent the proposal to AC on December 29, 2014. The AC on his part sent the proposal further to deputy commissioner, Bengaluru South the same day, Hiremath said.

He urged the government to act upon the AC/DC’s report immediately and cancel the land grant without any further delay. He also demanded criminal proceedings against all those involved in the land grab.